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| West Ham United 1 - 0 Liverpool | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEST
HAM 1-0 LFC: THE REPORT An injury-time penalty gave West Ham all three points in a game the Reds should have won. Mark Noble beat Pepe Reina with just about the last kick of the game after Jamie Carragher's lunge on Freddy Ljungberg prompted Alan Wiley to point to the spot. The result means Rafa Benitez's side have notched up just four points from five league games in 2008. They now stand 17 points behind leaders Man Utd and face a titanic battle to clinch that fourth Champions League spot. It might have been different had Liverpool played throughout like they started the game. The first real opportunity came five minutes in when a series of comic clearances from the hosts saw Yossi Benayoun through on goal. The Israeli perhaps tried to be too clever with his subsequent chip which curved harmlessly over the bar. It was only then the home faithful seemed to realise that, yes, he used to play at Upton Park, and the boo boys woke up. Liverpool were dominating the early play without really penetrating. Steve Finnan's new look provided a clue to the problem - a little toothless. West Ham began to make a contest of it as the first half wore on, illustrated by a pair of heart-in mouth moments for the travelling Kop. First when a foul throw caused confusion in the Liverpool defence and allowed Luis Boa Morte a shot on goal from eight yards. Luckily the Portuguese has a habit of missing those. Then an in-swinging free-kick deflected off the head of Finnan and on to Reina's crossbar. A lucky escape. These were the flashpoints of an otherwise quiet opening 45 minutes, the game stifled by the five-man midfield deployed by Alan Curbishley. With a fifth successive league draw on the horizon, Liverpool were in desperate need of inspiration going into the second half. Dirk Kuyt provided just that at Upton Park one year ago today when he fired Liverpool in front 50 seconds into the second period. The Dutchman nearly made a similar impact at the same stage this time round when a great bit of wing play resulted in a golden opportunity for Harry Kewell. Stretching, the Australian just couldn't get a decisive touch to guide it past the ailing Green. The Reds were trying to create some momentum but their passing was a little too laboured. So often a star during his debut season, Fernando Torres was struggling to shine despite his usual endeavour. All the while West Ham looked like they could pinch it at any time. Boa Morte again should have scored on 55 minutes but, with just Reina to beat, his snatched shot sent the ball horribly wide. Curbishley had seen enough. Boa Morte was withdrawn alongside Lee Bowyer; the introduction of Dean Ashton and Matt Etherington a signal of attacking intent. Benitez, for his part, brought on Lucas for Kewell, doubtless hoping the Brazilian could add to his first Liverpool goal against Havant and Waterlooville on Saturday. The 21-year-old nearly did just that with a Gerrard-esque burst into the box to get on the end of a Torres cross. The resulting shot was just wide but it was something for the away fans to cling on to. Minutes later the trick was repeated. Now it was Gerrard who burst down the flank before teeing up Lucas on the edge of the box. This time his effort was just a little too high. Benitez shuffled his pack again, introducing Ryan Babel for Benayoun on 72 minutes. Like Lucas, the Dutchman didn't waste any time making an impact, driving down the right before sending the ball towards Torres. Under pressure, Liverpool's top scorer hit narrowly wide. At the other end a superb last-ditch tackle from Fabio Aurelio was required to thwart the on-rushing Ljungberg. Neill blasted just wide from the resulting corner. Referee Alan Wiley hadn't had too much to do, but when he was given decisions to make his judgement was questionable to say the least. Aggrieved at a blatant kick from Lucas Neill, Torres showed the mildest dissent and was shown a yellow card for his trouble. Another card was dished out shortly after - a get out of jail free card. The recipient was Neill, whose handball with a quarter of an hour remaining was as clear a penalty as you're likely to see. Instead the game was decided with a spot kick at the other end. The clock read 93 minutes when Carragher felled West Ham's Swedish winger. This time Wiley got it right and the youngster Noble made no mistake against arguably the world's best penalty stopper. Stay logged on to Liverpoolfc.tv for the highlights on Thursday. Teams West Ham United: Green, McCartney, Ferdinand, Upson, Neill (captain), Ljungberg, Mullins, Noble, Bowyer, Cole, Boa Morte. Subs - Ashton, Solano, Wright, Etherington, Spector. Liverpool: Reina, Aurelio, Hyypia, Carragher, Finnan, Kewell, Gerrard (captain), Alonso, Benayoun, Torres, Kuyt. Subs - Crouch, Leiva, Babel, Itandje, Skrtel. Referee: Alan Wiley Conditions: Cold Attendance: Unknown Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Sami Hyypia Breakdown 19:48 GMT : Match Starts 1 min : West Ham kick off the match attacking the goal to the left of the dugouts. 2 mins : Torres has the first chance of the match as he fires a 25 yard shot just wide after a delightful turn. 3 mins : The travelling Kop are in good voice. 'Rafa, Rafael' is echoing around Upton Park. 5 mins : Liverpool are in their white and black away strip tonight as they go in search of that elusive first league win of 2008. 5 mins : Finnan has won a free-kick deep in West Ham territory. Gerrard takes but the Hammers eventaully clear their lines. 7 mins : A poor clearance from Robert Green concedes possession to Kuyt, who finds Benayoun but the Israeli clips his shot from a tight angle just over. 8 mins : West Ham threaten for the first time but Cole's throughball is superly cut out by Carra. 9 mins : A good situation comes to nothing as Kuyt overhits a pass towards Torres. 10 mins : It's been a bright opening from Liverpool. 11 mins : Yossi is being booed by the fans that once adored him. Let's hope he answers them with another goal to follow up his hat-trick against Havant. 14 mins : The last few moments have been rather scrappy with the hosts enjoying possession without really doing anything with it. 16 mins : Hyypia's hopeful ball into the box nearly finds the late run of Benayoun but Green is out quicky to thwart him. 17 mins : A moment of danger for the Reds as Ljungberg's low ball into the box evades both Hyypia and Carragher. Luckily for the Reds no-one was following in at the far post. 18 mins : Torres' clever run sees him beat the offside trap but once again Green is alert to pump the ball clear. 20 mins : There's an intriguing battle on the left side as Harry Kewell goes up against fellow Aussie Lucas Neill. It's even steven so far. 22 mins : A long throw from McCartney causes chaos in the Reds defence but Boa Morte fires over from six yards out to let Liverpool off the hook. 24 mins : Nearly a quarter of the way through the match and still no sign of a goal that could go some way to ending a sequence of four straight league draws for Rafa and co. 26 mins : After a nervy start the home side are beginning to ask more and more questions of the Liverpool rearguard. 27 mins : A Noble free-kick from the left deflects off a Liverpool head and smashes against the crossbar. Another let off. 29 mins : We've not seen enough of the Reds as an attacking force in the past 15 minutes or so. Torres had looked dangerous but the service to him appears to have dried up. 31 mins : A lovely one-two between Kewell and Torres puts the Aussie in on goal but Ferdinand recovers to make a great last-ditch challenge. 35 mins : Both sides are probing for an opening but for all their effort neither keeper has been called into much action. 37 mins : Some alert defending from Benayoun deprives Bowyer of a free header at the far post. 38 mins : First Booking: Fabio Aurelio: 39 mins : Another dangerous ball into the box causes problems in the Reds defence. Set pieces have become a real cause for concern. 40 mins : Noble delivers a great ball into the area but Sami leaps highest to clear for a corner. 41 mins : A poor delivery gives the defence a breather and a sustained period of West Ham pressure comes to an end. 44 mins : The Hammers have had the better chances in what has been a first-half of limited opportunities. 45 mins : There will be a minimum of one minute added time. 20:34 GMT : Half Time Reached 20:51 GMT : Second Half Begins 46 mins : Liverpool restart the second period defending the Bobby Moore stand. 47 mins : A good start for Liverpool. Finnan's cross from the right finds Benayoun and Kuyt but the Dutchman takes too long to get his shot away and the home side clear under pressure. 49 mins : A great chance for Liverpool goes begging as Kewell fails to connect with a delicious ball on from Dirk Kuyt after the forward skipped beyond McCartney with ease. 51 mins : A long ball into the Reds defence causes further problems with Hyypia heading straight to Boa Morte but Finnan is there to snuff out the danger. 54 mins : West Ham are getting the ball into the Liverpool area at every chance they get and Aurelio is fortunate not to be punished by Ljungberg after he missed his jump defending Noble's ball in. 55 mins : It's all hands to the pump in defence as Cole's delivery is cleared by Harry Kewell. 60 mins : An hour gone and it looks like West Ham are going to reinforce their attack with Dean Ashton. 62 mins : Another foul by Aurelio gives West Ham a free-kick in a dangerous area. The Brazilian will have to be careful as he's already been booked. 63 mins : Noble's cross causes more chaos and Boa Morte drags his shot wide at the far post. 64 mins : Substitution: Dean Ashton for Lee Bowyer: 64 mins : Substitution: Matthew Etherington for Luis Boa Morte: 65 mins : A double sub for the Hammers signals their intent for the remainder of this match. 66 mins : Substitution: Lucas Leiva for Harry Kewell: 66 mins : Substitute Lucas nearly inspires the breakthrough as he gets on the end of Torres' cross but sees his effort deflect just wide. 68 mins : Both sides are pressing for the opening goal and after yet another West Ham cross creates trouble in the Liverpool area, Lucas goes close with a shot from the edge of the box after a surging run from Stevie G. 69 mins : The first period was devoid of many clear-cut chances but it's very open as we enter the latter stages. 70 mins : It looks like Ryan Babel will be coming on for LFC. 71 mins : First Booking: Fernando Torres: 72 mins : Ironic cheers from the away fans as Liverpool are awarded a rare free-kick. 73 mins : Substitution: Ryan Babel for Yossi Benayoun: 74 mins : Babel is close to making an instant impact as his low cut back finds Kuyt but some alert defending denies him of a confidence boosting goal. 75 mins : Noble's corner picks out Cole but his header is way wide of Pepe Reina's goal 76 mins : Some sily skills form Ljungberg takes him into the LFC area but Aurelio gets back to block his low strike at goal 77 mins : And from the resulting corner it should be 1-0 as Lucas Neill hammers a shot just wide of Reina's near post. 78 mins : A superb turn from Kuyt enables him to take aim from 25 yards but his effort is deflected for a corner. 78 mins : From the corner there are big shouts for handball but the ref is having none of it. 81 mins : Substitution: Jonathan Spector for Carlton Cole: 83 mins : Peter Crouch continues to warm up for Liverpool but as of yet Rafa has not given him the call. 84 mins : A slight delay in proceedings as Etherington is given some treatment. 85 mins : We are back underway now and LFC are attacking. 86 mins : Less than five minutes to go and still no goals. One positive out of a 0-0 would see Reina pick up his 50th league clean sheet for the Reds. 87 mins : Fingers crossed Pepe achieves it in record time tonight and someone pops up with a winner - but at the moment it's not looking likely. 88 mins : First Booking: Xabi Alonso: 90 mins : A late chance for the Reds. A free-kick on the left edge of the area. Let's have some magic! 90 mins : Not quite as Xabi's shot is deflected wide and the corner comes to nothing. 90 mins : There will be a minimum of three minutes added time. 90 mins : Penalty to West Ham as Ljungberg is brought down by Carra. 90 mins : GOAL! Mark Noble: Penalty 21:42 GMT : Match Over Copyright of Official Site Liverpool FC |
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